Reactivity estimation based on the linear equation of characteristic time profile of power in subcritical quasi-steady state

Yamane, Yuichi

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 14 Pages, 2022/04

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2022.2053221

The reactivity was estimated from a time profile of neutron count rate or a simulated data in a quasi-steady state after sudden change of reactivity or external neutron source strength. The estimation was based on the equation of power in subcritical quasi-steady state. The purpose of the study is to develop the method of timely reactivity estimation from complicated time profile of neutron count rate. The developed method was applied to the data simulating neutron count rate created by using one-point kinetics code, AGNES, and Poisson-distributed random noise and to the transient subcritical experiment data measured by using TRACY. The result shows that the difference of the estimated and reference value was within about 5% or less for ( -1) for simulated data and within about 7% or less for -1.4 and -3.1 for the experimental data. It was also shown that the possibility of the reactivity estimation several ten seconds after the status change.

Safe, efficient cementation of challenging radioactive wastes using alkali activated materials with high-flowability and high-anion retention capacity (Contract research); FY2020 Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project

Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science; Hokkaido University*

JAEA-Review 2021-036, 95 Pages, 2021/12

JAEA-Review-2021-036.pdf:5.13MB

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), had been conducting the Nuclear Energy Science & Technology and Human Resource Development Project (hereafter referred to "the Project") in FY2020. The Project aims to contribute to solving problems in the nuclear energy field represented by the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO). For this purpose, intelligence was collected from all over the world, and basic research and human resource development were promoted by closely integrating/collaborating knowledge and experiences in various fields beyond the barrier of conventional organizations and research fields. The sponsor of the Project was moved from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to JAEA since the newly adopted proposals in FY2018. On this occasion, JAEA constructed a new research system where JAEA-academia collaboration is reinforced and medium-to-long term research/development and human resource development contributing to the decommissioning are stably and consecutively implemented. Among the adopted proposals in FY2019, this report summarizes the research results of the "Safe, efficient cementation of challenging radioactive wastes using alkali activated materials with high-flowability and high-anion retention capacity" conducted in FY2020. For safe storage and disposal of iron sludge generated from contaminated water treatment, the present study aims to 1) explore alkali activated materials (AAM) with high-flowability and high-anion retention capacity and its recipe, 2) try mock-up manufacture and evaluation for one-tenth the size of real waste and propose the concept of the manufacturing equipment for a real plant, 3) show potential of AAM as the material for the solidification of waste with various physicochemical properties and radioactive nuclide compositions from the result of

Direction of future safety research to be conducted by Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness (FY 2021 Edition)

Planning and Co-ordination Office, Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness

JAEA-Review 2021-019, 58 Pages, 2021/11

JAEA-Review-2021-019.pdf:2.26MB

In response to the directives of the 4th medium-to-long-term objectives, Japan Atomic Energy Agency will formulate the 4th medium-to-long-term plan and run its operation according to the plan from the fiscal year 2022. Consequently, the Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness has reviewed the strategies of the safety research for contributing to the demand, "the continuous improvement of nuclear safety and the effectiveness of nuclear disaster prevention". It was also discussed how to proceed the safety research over the medium-to-long-term plan period based on the proposed new strategies. From the viewpoint of developing human resources and maintaining research capabilities in the sector, discussion was made on measures to pass on the knowledge and skills of senior and mid-career researchers to young researchers. The main elements of the proposed strategies are: (1) to efficiently and effectively develop both problem-solving research and advanced or leading research, considering the importance and needs on the nuclear safety and corresponding to regulatory trends and introduction of new technologies, (2) to produce research results of high quality for social implementation, including proactive proposal of measures for enhancing rationality of nuclear safety and regulation by utilizing risk information, and (3) to promote development of human resources and maintenance of technological base through challenging new research subjects. This report summarizes results of the discussion on the medium-to-long-term safety research strategies and the research plans based on the proposed strategies.

Development and testing of a delayed gamma-ray spectroscopy instrument utilizing Cf-252 neutrons evaluated for nuclear safeguards applications

Rodriguez, D.; Abbas, K.*; Koizumi, Mitsuo; Nonneman, S.*; Rossi, F.; Takahashi, Tone

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 1014, p.165685_1 - 165685_10, 2021/10

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165685

Development of effectiveness evaluations technology of the measures for improving resilience of nuclear structures at ultra high temperature

Onoda, Yuichi; Nishino, Hiroyuki; Kurisaka, Kenichi; Yamano, Hidemasa

Proceedings of Asian Symposium on Risk Assessment and Management 2021 (ASRAM 2021) (Internet), 11 Pages, 2021/10

The effectiveness evaluations technology of the measures for improving resilience by applying a fracture control concept under ultra-high temperature conditions has developed for prototype sodium-cooled fast reactor Monju as a model plant, and the trial evaluation has conducted using this technology in this paper. The important accident sequences to which the fracture control concept is expected to be applied under ultra-high temperature condition are identified by investigating the results of the existing researches of level-2 probabilistic risk assessment for Monju. Accident sequences categorized in protected loss of heat sink and loss of reactor level are both identified as such important accident sequences which has the potential to prevent core damage. This study has developed the technology to evaluate the effectiveness of improving resilience, where the headings which stand for success or failure of the measures to improve resilience are introduced into the event tree, the branch probability of them is set, and the effectiveness of improving resilience is expressed as the reduction of core damage frequency. As a result of the trial evaluation of the effectiveness for the measures to improve resilience, it is confirmed that core damage frequency can be reduced by applying fracture control concept. The branch probability of the measures to improve resilience proposed in this study is tentatively assigned based on the assumption. This value is expected to be quantified by the forthcoming analyses of the integrity for the reactor vessel structure at ultra-high temperature. The technology developed in this study will be applied for the evaluation of improving resilience of the next generation sodium-cooled fast reactor.

Evaluation of high-energy delayed gamma-ray spectra dependence on interrogation timing patterns

Rodriguez, D.; Bogucarska, T.*; Koizumi, Mitsuo; Lee, H.-J.; Pedersen, B.*; Rossi, F.; Takahashi, Tone; Varasano, G.*

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research A, 997, p.165146_1 - 165146_13, 2021/05

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2021.165146

Interim activity status report of "the group for investigation of reasonable safety assurance based on graded approach" (from September, 2019 to September, 2020)

Yonomoto, Taisuke; Nakashima, Hiroshi*; Sono, Hiroki; Kishimoto, Katsumi; Izawa, Kazuhiko; Kinase, Masami; Osa, Akihiko; Ogawa, Kazuhiko; Horiguchi, Hironori; Inoi, Hiroyuki; et al.

JAEA-Review 2020-056, 51 Pages, 2021/03

JAEA-Review-2020-056.pdf:3.26MB

A group named as "The group for investigation of reasonable safety assurance based on graded approach", which consists of about 10 staffs from Sector of Nuclear Science Research, Safety and Nuclear Security Administration Department, departments for management of nuclear facility, Sector of Nuclear Safety Research and Emergency Preparedness, aims to realize effective graded approach (GA) about management of facilities and regulatory compliance of JAEA. The group started its activities in September, 2019 and has had discussions through 10 meetings and email communications. In the meetings, basic ideas of GA, status of compliance with new regulatory standards at each facility, new inspection system, etc were discussed, while individual investigation at each facility were shared among the members. This report is compiled with expectation that it will help promote rational and effective safety management based on GA by sharing contents of the activity widely inside and outside JAEA.

Online measurement of the atmosphere around geopolymers under gamma irradiation

Cantarel, V.; Lambertin, D.*; Labed, V.*; Yamagishi, Isao

Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 58(1), p.62 - 71, 2021/01

https://doi.org/10.1080/00223131.2020.1801531

The gas production of wasteforms is a major safety concern for encapsulating active nuclear wastes. For geopolymers and cements, the H produced by radiolytic processes is a key factor because of the large amount of water present in their porous structure. Herein, the gas composition evolution around geopolymers was monitored on line under Co gamma irradiation. Transient evolution of the hydrogen production yield was measured for samples with different formulations. The rate of its evolution and the final values are consistent with the presence of a chemical reaction of the pseudo-first order consuming hydrogen in the samples. The results show this phenomenon can significantly reduce the hydrogen source term of geopolymer wasteform provided their diffusion constant remains low. Lower hydrogen production rates and faster kinetics were observed with geopolymers formulations in which pore water pH was higher. Besides hydrogen production, a steady oxygen consumption was observed for all geopolymers samples. The oxygen consumption rates are proportional to the diffusion constants estimated in the modelization of hydrogen recombination by a pseudo first order reaction.

Chapter 18, Moving particle semi-implicit method

Wang, Z.; Duan, G.*; Koshizuka, Seiichi*; Yamaji, Akifumi*

Nuclear Power Plant Design and Analysis Codes, p.439 - 461, 2021/00

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818190-4.00018-8

Overview and outcomes of the OECD/NEA benchmark study of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS (BSAF) Phase 2; Results of severe accident analyses for Unit 1

Herranz, L. E.*; Pellegrini, M.*; Lind, T.*; Sonnenkalb, M.*; Godin-Jacqmin, L.*; Lpez, C.*; Dolganov, K.*; Cousin, F.*; Tamaki, Hitoshi; Kim, T. W.*; et al.

Nuclear Engineering and Design, 369, p.110849_1 - 110849_7, 2020/12

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110849

Phase 2 of the OECD/NEA Project "Benchmark Study of the Accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (BSAF)" was established in mid-2015. The objectives have been similar to Phase 1 of the project but with an extended analysis period of 3 weeks, a major focus on FP behaviour and releases to the environment and the comparison to various data and results of backwards calculations of the source term. Nine organizations of six countries submitted results of their calculated severe accident scenarios for Unit 1 at the 1F site using different severe accident codes. This paper describes the findings of the comparison of the participants results for Unit1 against each other and against plant data, the evaluation of the accident progression and the final status inside the reactors. Special focus is on RPV status, melt release and FP behaviour and release. Unit specific aspects will be highlighted and points of consensus as well as remaining uncertainties and data needs will be summarised.